3 dead in pair of shootings at Minneapolis homeless camps that police say may be linked

Two shootings at separate homeless encampments in Minneapolis that killed three people and wounded three others over the weekend are possibly connected, police said.

The first shooting occurred shortly before 4:45 a.m. on Saturday at an encampment on 21 St E and 15 Av S., the Minneapolis Police Department said in a statement. The shooting culminated in the death of a man, while two other men were wounded.

On Sunday, another triple shooting occurred about 2:20 p.m. at an encampment along railroad tracks on the 4400 block between Hiawatha and Snelling avenues, police said in a different statement.

That shooting resulted in the deaths of two men who were pronounced dead on scene despite life-saving efforts, police said.

“This is the second triple shooting at two separate homeless encampments in two days,” police said. “MPD has not ruled out the possibility that this shooting and the triple shooting that occurred on October 26th are related.”

A woman was also critically wounded in the shooting, police said.

Police said they were investigating the possibility of suspects who fled the Sunday shooting on foot. Three men were initially detained, but were cleared and released.

Police on Monday afternoon said there have been no arrests in the encampment shootings. The encampments are less than 4 miles apart in the same precinct.

The condition of the woman who was critically injured on Sunday was unknown, police said.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told the media that, while violent crime is going down in areas of the city, violence in and near homeless encampments has escalated. He blamed the surge on the powerful drug fentanyl.

He called the shootings at the encampments “incredibly tragic and sad.”

"This is not about a lack of shelter, not even most of the time, about a lack of housing, the issues that we’re seeing in terms of crime and violence — it’s about fentanyl,” Frey said. “It is about a drug that takes a hold of your body and your mind like nothing that we’ve ever seen before.”

Synthetic opioids, mainly Fentanyl, were responsible for almost 70% of the more than 107,000 people who died from drug overdoses in 2023, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner will identify the victims and state their causes and manners of death, police said.

Deven Leonard Caston, 31, was identified as the man killed on Saturday, according to a report from the medical examiner.

Caston died in a homicide from multiple gunshot wounds, the report said.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara called the shootings "outrageous" and bemoaned in a statement how encampments were not safe.

“The cold-blooded killing of three people inside the tent of an encampment is outrageous,” he said. “All human life matters and encampments are not safe."

"MPD continues to address crime related issues associated with homeless encampments and the city continues to offer resources.," O'Hara said. "To help end this cycle of violence that is exacerbated by narcotics and mental health issues, it is crucial that the residents of these encampments accept the resources that are available.”